The Truth About Sexism in Science
In many areas, gender bias has vanished - and in some, it's reversed
It’s an idea so widely accepted that we rarely think to question it: Women face rampant discrimination in science, while men coast along on a cushion of unearned privilege. You’ll hear this claim echoed everywhere, from the most prestigious scientific journals to the pages of The New York Times. The unrelenting message is that, at every rung of the career ladder, the system is rigged in favor of men. White men especially.
But what if the story we’ve been told about gender bias in science is wrong? That’s the possibility explored in a sweeping review of the literature by Stephen Ceci, Shulamit Kahn, and Wendy Williams. Drawing on two decades of data, they examine six key areas where gender bias is often alleged: hiring, grant funding, teaching evaluations, journal acceptances, salaries, and recommendation letters. Their overall conclusion is that the evidence simply doesn’t support claims of pervasive anti-female bias in science. In fact, in some domains, it’s now men who face discrimination.
Let’s break down Ceci and colleagues’ findings - and why they matter.
1. Tenure-Track Hiring: Bias Against Men
If you believe the popular narrative, women applying for tenure-track jobs in STEM are routinely passed over in favor of equally qualified - or even less qualified - men. According to Ceci, Kahn, and Williams, however, this narrative doesn’t hold up. In fact, it’s got things back to front: Women now have a clear advantage in STEM hiring.
Multiple lines of evidence support this conclusion. I’ll highlight two. The first is evidence from audit studies of hiring in universities. What emerges time and again is that, although fewer women apply for tenure-track jobs, those who do apply are more likely to be interviewed and more likely to get offered the job. The table below shows some typical data.
These findings run directly counter to the claim that women are discriminated against in STEM hiring. They suggest, instead, the opposite.